ROCK singer Dave Gleeson has hit out at Channel 9 junior reality series The Voice Kids, saying the high-rating talent program is setting up young performers for a fall.

The Screaming Jets and Angels frontman said despite the network’s best efforts there was no way to completely shelter the children from hateful comments posted on internet sites and social media by trolls.

Gleeson also accused The Voice Kids of putting too much pressure on young singers and giving them unrealistic expectations of the music industry.

The Adelaide Hills father of two children – Bella, 9, and James, 6 – said the show was banned in his household.

“I’m not anti-competition at all – I hate the fact that they’ve taken scoring out of junior sport and things like that – but you couldn’t get something more fraught with danger than this show,” Gleeson said.

“I’m a fan of The Voice, but those people are old enough to have some experience, and they go into it willingly.”

Gleeson said he believed that Channel 9 was trying to shield the competitors from criticism – last week the network said it had banned the contestants from Twitter and pleaded with trolls to leave the children alone. But ultimately there was no way of protecting them, he said.

“I’m sure that the kids on the whole enjoy it, but it’s those poisonous and malicious people out there,” he said.

“I think kids are generally supportive of each other’s success, but these people (on the internet) could be in their 30s and 40s. Who knows?”

Gleeson also said he was worried that children were perhaps not equipped to cope with life in the spotlight.

“I’m sure the parents have the best of intentions, but there are so many pitfalls,” he said. “Anyone who has made a living in the entertainment industry knows that it’s a difficult path.”

Gleeson said he was grateful that social media didn’t exist when he was a young performer.

“Some of the things I said on stage when I was 25, I would’ve been gone,” he said.

“Now everything can come back to haunt you. But there was a lot said when I joined The Angels, and even for a man in his 40s, some of them struck a nerve.”

The Voice Kids network executive producer Adrian Swift said the children’s welfare was the highest priority.

“Of course you can’t shelter the kids from the internet entirely, but you can shelter them from the worst of it and give them a good experience,” Mr Swift said.

“We work closely with the Office of the Children’s Guardian and everyone involved has come back with most positive feedback.”

Mr Swift said the aim of the show wasn’t to create recording stars from its performers.

“The first prize is a $50,000 music scholarship,” he said.

“This is a format that has been used around the world ... and everyone’s come out of it saying that it was such a positive experience. No one at the Nine Network is ever going to do anything that would ­damage these kids.”

The show, which premiered last Sunday, was a ratings hit, attracting almost 1.7 million viewers across the country.

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